Having finally managed to regain some standing in Pei Jing’s eyes, Jiang Tong did not dare to be careless. He poured all his energy outside of class into his experiments, to the point where he even dreamed of adjusting microscopes.
When Lu She called, sounding hesitant and awkward as he tried to persuade him to continue the part-time tutoring for the Xiao family, Jiang Tong hesitated for a moment. Recalling Pei Jing’s words, he ultimately refused.
“I needed the money for a family emergency before, but things are better now. Besides, I’m really too busy lately; I probably won’t be able to help you,” Jiang Tong said apologetically.
“Young Master Xiao is actually quite cute.” Recalling Xiao Fengtai’s facade of cold indifference, he couldn't help but smile. “Just make sure you maintain a professional attitude. Don’t actually end up leading the kid astray.”
Lu She let out a wail on the other end of the line. He went on and on, repeating the same old arguments about the great pay, the easy workload, and how he could use the opportunity to break into high society and build a network. However, Jiang Tong’s mind was made up. He brushed him off with a few perfunctory remarks, hung up, and turned off his phone.
The laboratory was windowless, like a stark white urn. Deprived of natural light for long periods, a person would lose their sense of time. Pei Jing was out on business, leaving Jiang Tong alone in the vast lab with the slowly growing bone marrow cells. Jiang Tong was fully immersed—counting cells in suspension, aliquoting them into culture flasks, placing them in the incubator, replenishing stock solutions, and sorting cultured cells—until a burning hunger in his stomach forced him to stop.
He looked up, only to realize he had not only missed lunch but could skip dinner as well.
Progress was faster than expected; he should be able to report back to Pei Jing now. Feeling relaxed in both body and mind, Jiang Tong stripped off his gloves and went to the breakroom to eat his now-discolored packed lunch. He turned on his phone, intending to watch some videos, but was startled by the swarm of missed call notifications flooding the screen.
At the bottom of the notifications was a WeChat message from *ftx*. The message was concise: "You’re fired."
Jiang Tong found it baffling.
"May I ask the reason for my dismissal?" he replied.
Though he was confused, Jiang Tong didn't take the bizarre message to heart. The emotions of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy were more volatile than the Nasdaq index. Rather than desperately trying to figure him out or please him, leaving it alone was the optimal solution for both parties.
*I wonder if he’ll blame his cousin this time?* Jiang Tong thought amusedly before falling asleep.
By the following evening, *ftx* still hadn't replied.
This was somewhat unlike him.
"Did Xiao Fengtai say something to you?" Recalling Lu She’s strange behavior, Jiang Tong called him to demand answers.
"No..." Lu She said guiltily. "What’s wrong with him?"
"Nothing." Jiang Tong thought for a moment and decided not to tell Lu She yet. If Xiao Fengtai had simply had a midnight fit of madness and forgotten all about it afterward, there was no need to involve Lu She and make him worry.
The day for the lesson arrived. Jiang Tong woke up early, organized his lesson materials, and headed to the Xiao residence in high spirits. This time, however, he couldn't get past the front gate.
"My surname is Jiang. I am Kenneth’s Chinese tutor," he said, showing his ID to the guard. "You can verify this with him."
The guard was a burly Southeast Asian man. He stood by the gate, beaming with a smile, but remained motionless.
"That is correct. We received your information in advance. Young Master Xiao specifically instructed us not to let you in."
"He also asked me to pass on a message: please focus on your scientific research career in the future and do not waste any more time looking for part-time jobs."
The guard wore a standard Southeast Asian smile. It was almost a regional talent; only this group of people living in the equatorial climate could perform a mask-like, polite smile so convincingly that it felt heartfelt and deeply moving. After being filtered through this warm translation, Xiao Fengtai’s icy mockery lost some of its original sting.
Since the die was cast, Jiang Tong didn't waste time and turned to leave. He didn't go back to school but instead took a taxi to Lu She’s apartment. Mr. Lu had finally been honorably discharged from the hospital the previous week and was currently enjoying the tail end of his sick leave.
The pleasant holiday came to an abrupt halt with Jiang Tong’s visit.
"Speak. What’s going on?" Jiang Tong stood with his arms crossed, looking down at him. "What exactly are you hiding from me?"
Generally speaking, Jiang Tong was a gentle and good-tempered person. However, when he was like this—face as calm as still water, staring coolly at the other person—it was far more intimidating than someone else’s explosive rage.
Before Jiang Tong arrived, Lu She had been clutching a large bowl of popcorn while watching a movie. Facing Jiang Tong, he nervously hugged the plastic bowl, hiding most of his face behind it. The gaze from across the room was cold and sharp, as if it could bore a hole through the bowl and poke directly into Lu She’s brain.
"I don’t know anything! I’m just a messenger!" He sold out his little benefactor without hesitation.
"Young Master Xiao told me to think of a way to get you to stay and keep teaching Chinese," Lu She said cautiously, his speech slipping back into a thick Beijing accent. "He wouldn't let me tell you. He even said if you stayed, he’d keep sending me money every month."
The more he spoke, the more his voice trailed off into a guilty mumble. "He is, after all, practically the one who puts bread on my table. If he told me not to tell you, I couldn't exactly take it upon myself to speak up."
Jiang Tong was stunned.
Observing the softening of his expression, Lu She quickly seized the opportunity. "Teacher Jiang, Dr. Jiang, Professor Jiang! Please be the bigger person and let me off this time. Actually, I was doing it for your own good too."
"It’s rare for Young Master Xiao to like someone. I’m not exaggerating—you couldn't find a part-time job this good even if you searched with a lantern!"
"Besides, even if you didn't take it, you wouldn't have lost anything."
Jiang Tong gave a bitter smile. "Mr. Lu, Young Master Xiao has already fired me."
***
